Eco-Products will operate as a standalone division of Waddington, and its facility at 4755 Walnut St. and its 50 employees will remain, Mike Evans, Waddington's president and CEO, wrote in an email to the Camera.

"I believe that there is great potential for this brand and for sustainable foodservice products," Evans said. "We are delighted to welcome Eco-Products to our family of companies."

Waddington produces a variety of disposable kitchenware products including PET bowls, plastic soft-sided cups and dinnerware and stemware designed to mimic china and crystal.

Waddington has operations in California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas and Montreal. Several of those facilities eventually will manufacture products for Eco-Products, Evans said.

Eco-Products' items now are manufactured overseas.

Founded in 1990, Eco-Products was established as a seller of recycled products. Since that time, the company evolved from being a distributor of office, building and home supplies to a wholesaler of compostable food service items.

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The company received a $2 million investment in 2008 from Boulder-based Greenmont Capital Partners to further expand its reach into the foodservice industry.

Eco-Products spun off its building supplies division that same year into Ellie's Eco Home Store, a retailer of environmentally friendly general merchandise. Ellie's Eco Home Store closed in 2011.

Steve Savage, who founded Eco-Products with his father and has served as the company's chairman since 2009, described the sale as bittersweet.

"Obviously, for 22 years I put my heart and soul into this company; I'm now going to sort of watch it from afar," said Savage, who now heads up the Boulder-based National Eco Wholesale.

Although he received several acquisition proposals from other firms when he was involved in the day-to-day operations of Eco-Products, Savage said the firm ultimately found the right suitor.

"(Waddington) wants Eco-Products and has the resources for Eco-Products to grow," he said. "They are going to be looking at other acquisitions of smaller competitors to really make a difference in this disposable packaging category."

Eco-Products should be a good fit for Waddington, said Steve Hoffman, president of Boulder-based Compass Natural Marketing, an integrated marketing, business development and public relations firm.

"Similar to other companies that are looking at the consumer products market, I think they're very smart to expand their line of sustainable and green offerings because more and more consumers are asking for it and, thus, businesses are demanding it," Hoffman said.

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